ROD McKUEN

I, of course, have only heard of this guy because of Aaron Freeman's forthcoming album, Marvelous Clouds. I am drooling with anticipation and my nipples are rock hard.

I have spent one velvet & honey weekend with this man's music in my ears. I was gonna listen to something else, something cool, something you've never heard of, something that hasn't even been invented yet. But then I was curious about Rod. I thought it would just be a call of duty, you know, get to know the songs before Aaron sings them. Listen to one album and then get back to my incredibly cool, upbeat and up-to-date lifestyle. That's a lie, by the way, I have no such thing. But then I pressed play and the room just filled with little blue clouds, and flying fish, and golden dust, and syrup poured from the taps, and my cat sneezed champagne out her little nose, and fucking fluff filled my heart and then God Almighty Himself leaned over the balcony and said, 'Hey, dude, what's that? That sounds like a muffin I just had." And so it did! And God saw that Rod was good and said, "Yeah, it's a bit corny, but I'm in a good mood on account of that muffin and your name sounds almost exactly like mine, so what the heaven, I'll let it slide. Go on, do your stuff."

And so Rod sang all day long and it was good. I have made so many imaginary friends that day. This music puts you in that mood, you actually start believing life's good and people are kind. I didn't get out of the house, didn't wanna ruin it. Rod is probably like Leonard Cohen on his birthday. Actually I saw Leonard Cohen on his birthday and he was just Leonard Cohen. But this guy is so close to that nonexistent lapse of sadness, it's uncanny!

But then I hear that, in spite of his "sunny-bunny" songs, some of which he wrote for Frank Sinatra, he was diagnosed with clinical depression. So he IS Leonard Cohen! He now lives in an old house in California with his four cats and owns one of the world's largest record collections.

I like that in a man.

The record I listen to the most is "After Midnight" and here's a few songs from it:

Rod McKuen - Blessings of the day


Rod McKuen - Me and the cat


Rod McKuen - My brother Edward